Fighting The Cartel
by Mad Ant
Summary: GTA3 Main character VS the Cartel. The Cartel are after him, but how did they find him ? Please R&R, but keep in mind that it's my first ever fanfic. Chapter 5 is up, please read and enjoy. (Unfinished)
1. Chapter 01 : An Eventful Awakening

Disclaimer : I don't own GTA3. Some of the characters in this fanfic are based on or taken from thje game. Others are of my creation. I called the main character Jake because I found the name suited.

This fanfic doesn't quite follow the story from the game. He didn't kill Slvatore Leone or Kenji, and hasn't yet discovered who is behind the Cartel. However, he does no work for either the triads or the Cartel.

CHAPTER 1

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Jake heard the alarm going off and slowly opened his eyes. Light shone on his face, forcing his to cover his eyes and blindly attempting to turn the alarm clock off at the same time. When silence finally came, he sat up slowly and opened his eyes.

He rarely came here, since this hideout was smaller than the others, being composed of only one room. Because of that, he also forgot that the rising sun shines directly on the bed at this time of day. That must be the other reason he rarely came here. Yesterday, though, it had seemed a good idea at the time. He had done a job for salvatore Leone, consisting of driving his daughter, Maria, to parties in different parts of the cities. Whilst he found Maria quite pretty, he also found her to act like a spoilt brat most of the time, despite being 2 years younger than himself.

However, he sometimes enjoyed having easy jobs as this one. And it wasn't every day that you can drive a stretch limo. And for once, Maria didn't get completely stoned froma not-to-far-from-lethal mixture of alcohol and drugs. Jake didn't mention these things, but he had a BIG dislike for drugs. He himself had never taken any. Not even a cigarette. That was why he would never work for the Cartel. All they did was make and sell drugs. That was how they built their empire. And Jake rarely passed up an oportunity to weaken their power. He had even dealt quite a blow when he and 8-ball had worked together to destroy one of their floating Spank factories in the harbor.

That must be one of the reasons that the Cartel never offered him work. Word on the street even said that the Cartel was putting a lot of dough into finding out who destroyed the ship. Jake had enough sense to hope that 8-ball had his ass covered.

Slowly getting up, he was just about awake enough to put his jeans on and go over to the coffee machine and set it in motion. He slowly finished dressing while the coffee was getting ready, enjoying the peace and quiet. Too quiet. He suddenly realized that he couldn't hear any cars passing in the street. That woke his up better that coffee ever could.

He slowly walked over to the door and looked out of the spy hole. He could see the road, but no traffic whatsoever. Damn ! Closing the windows curtains, Jake quickly finished dressing and put important papers, false identities, and anything important into a bag. After looked around the room in case he forgot anything, he opened the door between his "apartment" and the garage, which held a dark blue hard-top Stinger, probably his favourite car. This one, however, was not the standard of-the-line model. Joey, Salvatores son, had done some work on it and Jake had also brought some modifications. Opening the boot, he quickly but his bag inside. He then proceded to search quickly but thuroughly the car for bugs. He found one, placed in the left rear wheel arch. He continued a search, just in case there were several bugs.

"Damnit !" he thought as he re-entered his apartment. He took a quick gulp of the freshly prepared coffee and swore again as the hot liquid burnt slightly his throat. He went to the corner of the room where a small cardboard box was. Inside was a small home-made bomb, powerful enough to destroy any evidence in the room, but not so powerful as to do too much damage to the building. The diablos of Hepburn heights wouldn't be too happy if a building on their turf went down in flames. Before setting the timer, Jake checked his Desert Eagle automatic pistol. A full clip, plus 3 more in his pocket, should be enough. There were spare firearms concealed in his car if need be. Jake set the bomb for 3 minutes, and set it off. Picking up the remote off-switch (just in case this was a false alarm), he went to the garage and started the Stingers engine. Pressing a button, the garage doors opened, letting the light and calmness of the outside enter.When the doors were fully opened, Jake still had 2 and a half minutes before the bomb went off.

Putting the car into gear, Jake set off. The car was a manual, as Jake wasn't too fond of automatics. He still had one (he had several cars), and sometimes drove one for "job", but didn't drive them too often. He appreciated the suppleness of having a manual. Moving forward, he had confirmation that he could be worried. He spotted two Cartel thugs, one one each side of the entrance to the small courtyard in front of Jakes hideout. Jake sighed, and floored it. The V8 engine litterally roared to life as the dark blue sports car shot forward.

Just before be reached the courtyard, he saw the 2 thugs start to react and bring up their guns and move forward to shoot. A slight twist of the wheel caused him to bear down on one of them, who was quick enough to avoid the car. Spinning the wheel, Jake brought the car around in the direction of the (???) bridge, planning on going into Yakusa territory. Doing so, he saw what was holding up traffic : 2 Cartel cruisers blacked both lanes in each direction, and a quick glance in the mirrors confirmed the same thing behind him, making it at least 8 cars. 

__

That's why the waited till morning, Jake thought, as he set of. Jake saw he had 2 alternatives : either try to force his way through, or go through the trees between the road and the water. Considering the weight of the Cartels armoured cruisers and of his car, he opted for the trees. Coming up to the cruisers, he saw Cartel henchmen preparing themselves to shoot. They were too far to identify their weapons, but Jake knew the Cartel were quite fond of the AK-47 machine gun, due to cost and reliability. 

When Jake was 50 metres away, he veared of the road, heading towards the stretch of trees bordering the street. Just before ebntering the trees, he could see the Cartel scrambling into their vehicules to take chase. A good guess would be that those behind had already done so.

Weaving as quiclky as he dared through the trees, he could see the Cartel moving to cut him off. Veering slightly right, he hoped he could make the concrete walkway before they caught up with him. He cleared the trees soon enough and made up for lost time by acceleration. There weren't too many people here, just the odd person heading to the train station to go to work. Jake still had to sound his horn once to make sure he didn't run anyone over. That would slow him down, badly.

Just as he thought he had made it, a Cartel cruiser shot out of the trees to his left. Jake had just enough time to think _Uh oh …_and veer to the right to avoid a lateral colision. Changing gear, Jake put his foot right down and prayed. Despite their weight, tha cartel kitted out all their cars to improve performance. Jake had driven the odd cartel cruiser, having had to steal a couple to bring them the the Yakusa But Jake was too busy concentrating on his drining to think these things. He lowered his window, just in case he had to fire the odd shot to slow them down. Whilst shooting out of windows wasn't his speciality, he had been lucky enough on several occasions.

The Cartel, however, didn't wait before opening fire. The passenger would stick his whole upper body out of the window to have a better firing position and was firing away. A quick glance in his mirror told Jake that out of the 4 cars following, only the lead car was in a position to fire. He wasn't doing any good, however. Most of the shots went wild thanks to Jakes driving, and the few that hit ricocheted off the boot lid. Jake drew his own gun and stuck his arm out of the window and managed to fire a few shots. Whilst none hit, it forced the driver to get back in the cars cabin for fear of being hit.

Jake withdrew his arm and placed the gun on the passenger seat so as to have both his hands available for driving. His lead was increasing, but it would be foolish to think the Cartel had no backup plan. They also had the money to put their plans into action, and probably the whole night. Jake scanned in front of him, and saw no iminent danger. A quick glance in his rear-view mirror gave him a shock : the second cars passanger had his body out of the car, and a portable rocket launcher on his shoulder. Jake looked a bit more, and it was obvious that he was waiting to be in a better position to fire. Stealing the occasionnal glance, Jake managed to keep the lead car between himself and the rocket launcher. But his luck would not last forever. Reaching under his seat, Jake removed a grenade from a hidden stash. Taking the pin in his mouth, he tossed the now-armed grenade from his window.

BOOM !! It exploded close enough to the lead car to cause his to veer violently, but not enough to stop. Thankfully, it was alos stil in the lead. But it would now be easier for the person in the second car to take aim. Cursing his lack of forethought, he picked up his automatic pistol and again fired out of his window. Lady luck was with him, as a wild shot hit the tire of the lead car. It veered, causing the second car to have to suddenly alter its course just as its passenger fired. The shot went wild towards the water.

Jake breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the end of the walkway coming up. The woods stopped about 50 metres before the walkway, leaving him enough time to get onto the road and away from the Cartel. A quick glance in his mirror showed him that only 3 cars were following him now. _Where are the other 4 ?_ Jake thought. _Probably following on the road …_

He continued on. If they were on the road, they wouldn't be far behind, as they had less obstacles to avoid. He had no choice but to jump, and pray. He steeled himself as he saw where he would have to jump from. Nearly at the end of the walkway was a bump, followed by a 5-or-so meter drop to the road. Slowing so as not to overdo it, he braced himself. He had just enough time to look below as he jumped, and saw that the road was free of traffic. He landed, skidding slightly as his tyres lost their grip, but quickly gained control of his car. Accelerating more, he could have sworn he heard a faraway explosion …


	2. Chapter 02 : The Need for Information

Disclaimer : I don't own GTA3. Some of the characters in this fanfic are based on or taken from the game. Others are of my creation. I called the main character Jake because I found the name suited.

Chapter 2 is up. Please read and tell me what you think. I would really appreciate heaps of praises, but constructive critisism is also welcomed. I wouldn't get better otherwise.

CHAPTER 02

==========

Having managed to cross the Callaham bridge, he stopped at a red light and started thinking. He was going to have to use this car less often, as they had seen him in it. That pained him slightly, but if it meant his safety, he would do it.

He wondered what he would do now. The first thing to do would be to chech the car again for bugs, a more thorough search was in order. He knew of a garage not far from Asukas appartment, the kind of place where paint jobs and car blanching were common. He had just decided to go when the driver of the car beeped his horn. Feeling a slight annoyance at his own daydreaming, he set the car in motion, turning right and heading to the garage.

***************************************************************************

He arrived at the garage and honked. The doors window above the garage opened about a minute later as the owner stuck his sleepy head out into the morning. Jake stuck his head out of the car window and yelled "Get your ass out here."

"And a good morning to you too."

"Whatever," Jake yelled.

A minute later, the garage doors opened, and Jake drove the car in. The garages working space, seemingly small on the outside, was in fact big enough to have 6 cars worked on simultaneously. Only 2 spaces were taken for the moment, however, 3 as Jake drove his blue Stinger into a vacant space.

"How you been, Simon. Business seems calm." Jake said as he stepped out of the car.

"Depends if you call being woken up just after the crack of dawn by a maniac as 'calm'" Simon answered back. He was 35, but the excess sleepiness and 3-day beard made him look some 10 years older.

"I thought you mechanics usually woke up at the crack of dawn" Jake mused.

"I ain't no mechanic, I'm a car enthusiast" Simon retorted, standing up straighter and jutting out his chin. It would have looked convincing, and Jake was about to say so, just as Simon yawned mouth wide open without bothering to cover it.

"So what brings you here at this hour ?"

__

Good old Simon, never one to beat around the bush. "I had a run in with the Cartel. They had my car bugged. I want a thorough check-up."

"You like living a calm life, don't you ?" Simon said, as he headed for the tool bench. "First things first, though. You want some coffee ?"

"Yes thanks, I didn't have the time to take some before leaving."

Simon switched the coffee machine on, and set it going. He also switched the security cameras on, and 3 small monitors lit up, casting a pale-blue halo in front of them. Simon had had 3 security cameras placed so as to see the immediate surroundings. Simon next opened a drawer and took out some electrical device that Jake supposed to be a bug-searching device. Simon walked over to the car and started working it over. He did a first, quick check, followed by a more minute search. When the coffee was ready, Jake poured 2 mugs out and brought one of them over to Simon, who took a sip before continuing his search. After 10 or so minutes, he turned to Jake and said "All clear".

"Thanks goodness for that" Jake said, finishing his coffee and putting the mug back onto the counter.

"What happened" Simon prompted while putting his tool away.

"Woke up to find a deserted street. Got suspicious. Left in a hurry."

"How many were they ?"

"8 cars, at least 2 per car, plus 2. At least 18 people, just for little old me."

"How lucky of you" Simon said, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Tell me about it. One thing stumps me, though. When did they bug my car ?"

"What stumps me is why you're asking me."

"It was a rhetorical question, fool" Jake said with a smile.

"None of those this early in the morning." Simon responded, drinking his warm coffee.

"Thanks for the check over."

"I don't want you thanks" Simon said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Jake rolled his eyes and said, "Just my luck to fall on a materialistic mecanic (???)."

"That's 'Car Enthusiast' to you. Now get out of here." Simon said, walking over to a wall panel to open the door. Jake took his wallet and placed a 100 dollar bill on the counter, then walked over to his car, started the engine, and backed slowly out of the garage.

***************************************************************************

Arriving at his "secondary residence" (although he had quite a few of those), he left the motor running while he got out and opened the garage door. It was a 2 car garage, and already held a car : a Sentinel. Like you can expect, however, it wasn't the standard model. Not in this line of work. It wasn't as pumped up as his beloved Stinger, however, but enough so to make it an interesting drive.

Being in a relatively dangerous "job", Jake was always careful. He had several garages spotted around the city, each containing a car, though not always legally aquired. Joey, a genius mechanic and future head of the Liberty City mafia, was willing to erase a cars identity. For a fee, of course. It was cheaper than buying them, Jake mused. And he could always buy false papers to go with the cars. You just had to know who to ask for them.

He reversed the Stinger into the garage, making it easier in an emergency to make a quick getaway. He didn't want to get rid of the car, but would have to change the liscence plates and probably have to give it a paint job if he wanted to continue using the car. The Cartel had probably given all it's thugs a description of the car, but he didn't want to part with it. It was one of the only cars he had actually bought, and he had spent long hours working on it, adding something here, tweaking something there. Jake knew that he should know the basics of a lot of things to survive in the underworld, and mechanics was one of them.

Closing the garage door behind him, he looked around the courtyard that he was in. The only access in via a 15 metre slope that brings you onto a side street, onto the Yakusa/Cartel frontier. Measuring about 30 metres in length to 10 in width, there was nothing of interest to most people. That's why Jake liked it, there was little chance people would come here to disturb him. He walked over to a lift and pressed the button to call it. The doors opened immediatly with a _ding_, and Jake entered. He pressed the button for the 7th floor. The doors closed with little noise, and a few seconds later, he stepped out onto a small landing. He then walked down 2 flights of stairs to get to the 5th floor. He always did that, you never could be to careful. Taking out a bunch of keys, he searched through them till he found the right one, and opened the door. Opening the door, he entered his appartment. It wasn't big, but bigger than the hideout he just lost. The flat was composed of 5 rooms : bedroom, living room, kitchen/dining room and bathroom. Oh, and a seperate toilet. The last room was a office/library/storeroom kind of room. Everything which didn't belong to any of the other rooms ended up there. After considering his next move, Jake decided a shower and a shave, followed by breakfast, was in order.

***************************************************************************

After a quick shower, shave, and breakfast, he felt much better. Before any move could be made, however, he had to go through the events of the last week, every outing he had done in the Stinger. Except for yesterday, he had been staying in this flat. He hadn't been anywhere much.

The first few days had been spent reading and a few hours surfing the internet. He checked his e-mail every day, as Salvatore sometimes asked for information or proposed a job by e-mail. Rarely, though, as Salvatore responded to events as they arrived, and did so quickly. E-mail, despite its speed, just didn't cut it. Jake also recieved a few newsletters from different 'alternative leisure' magazines.

About 3 days ago, Jake had done some work on a car of his. A recently, euh, …, 'acquired', Infernus. He had brought the car to Joeys, early morning. Only stayed for about an hour there. Went to Simons and had worked for a couple of hours there, tweaking the engine somewhat. Simon had a lot of tools, and even more experience, and was willing to help Jake work on his car, although he tried to do the most he could by himself. He was finished by late afternoon, and brought the car to a newly bought 2-car garage near the Callaham bridge. After leaving the car in the garage, he went to eat in a diner nearby, and then walked back to his flat at 9 'o clock PM.

The day after had been pretty uneventful. He had gone to bring some equipment to the garage. A few well-maintained firearms, a bullet-proof vest, a lock-picking set, that kind of stuff. Nothing expendable, just in case the garage was broken into. He would hate to lose semothing important to a commun thief. At midday, he had gone to eat a pizza, nothing special. The afternoon was spent in the library oposite Donald Loves' building. Shrewd businessman, Love was also a well-paying employee. Jake had rescued a valued old Chinese man from the Cartel. Whilst Jake had been payed, he was sure that he could ask a service from Donald that wouldn't be refused, as long as he didn't ask for too much. He had spent a large part of the afternoon at the library, and had spent the night in a nearby "secondary residence" (more like the fifth, not that it mattered much).

The next day, 2 days ago, Jake had recieved a call on his cell phone from Salvatore, asking him to drop by for a small chat, maybe more. He had gone, arriving at around 2 o'clock PM, and Salvatore had asked him about Luigi. Salvatore was worried that Luigi might be doing some business on the side. After Jake had reasured him, Salvatore asked him to drop a package of at Luigis' and to come back the day after at 7 o' clock in the evening for a job. Jake dropped the package off and headed back to his flat at the edge of Belleville Park. The rest of the day had been spent in the flat.

The day after, yesterday, he had stayed all day in his appartment, cleaning weapons and generally checking inventory. At 5:30 PM, he had left, in the Stinger, and had gone to meet Salvatore, picking up a fast food meal at a drive-in on the way. Arriving at the parking near Salvatores mini-palace at quarter to seven, he had walked 5 minutes to reach his destination. The guard at the door called the main building after Jake had introduced himself, and had been let in. He had driven Maria around, but prefered not to dwell on that. Besides, he had stayed in the limo almost all the time. Returning a sleepy Maria at 2 AM, had had walked back to his car and had gone to his one-room retreat near Hepburn heights, bordering the red-light district.

Which brought us to today. The only real moment they could have planted the bug was yesterday, while the car had been in the parking. Why hadn't they done more, or sabotaged the car ?

Jake thought of the way he had taked to go to Salvatores place. Leaving the flat, he had turned right to stay parallel with the park. Reaching the end of the road, he had turned left to cross the Callaham brigde. After the bridge, he followed the maze of streets to get to Salvatores. He wasn't much liked by the triads, so he had stuck to a relativly neutral territory. He had passed by the Forellis place, too, and wasn't on great terms with them, either.

One possibility crept into his mind : whilst going, a triad or Forelli thug had spotted him, recognized him, and had followed him. When Jake had left his car, the afore-mentionned thug bugged the car, returning to his boss, who sold the information to the Cartel. That was just one possibility, and a quite likely one at that. Rackiong his mind for other theories and coming up with none for the moment, he decided to follow this lead and see where it lead up to …

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"Hello ?"

The person Jake had at the other end of the phone wasn't quite awake, by the sound of his voice. "Hello Ray."

"Jesus, Jake, I told you to try not to call me here."

"My options are limited at the moment."

"Whatever. What do you want ? And why do you want it this early ? I barely just arrived here."

"I need some information, Ray."

"What kind of information ?"

"Cartel mouvements over the past 24 hours."

"I'll need more information before I can give you any more answers. Meet me at the usual place, in 20 minutes ?"

"Make that 30. I'll be there."

"You better, I'd look pretty stupid going there for nothing."

Jake hung up. He was at a public payphone at Liberty Campus, not far from the university. From what he heard, it was supposed to by quite prestigious, as far as universities go. Jake had gone to his local university, but had quite enjoyed it. He considered taking some lessons, but decided he didn't have the time at the moment. He walked back to his Sentinel and started the engine. He would be there 10 minutes in advance to check the area beforehand. Ray had been clear until now, but there was always a first time …

***************************************************************************

Jake had checked the area, and it was clear. He sat a relatively long distance away from the public toilets in Belleville Park, and took out todays newspaper. This wasn't Cartel territory, and was relatively safe. Whilst pretending to read the paper, he scanned the vicinity, watching a jogger go across the park. Rumaging through some trash cans a short distance off was a local bum. Jake sometimes gave spare change too. He could always come in handy one day. No one notices beggers, or thinks they aren't worth looking at.

Ray arrived 2 minutes before schedule, and went straight down to the toilets. Jake waited till the time was up, then got up and started in the direction of the public mens' room …

"Ray ?" he called out.

"Hearing a toilet flush behind him, he turned to see Ray coming out of a cubicle, and head to the sink to wash his hands. Jake took out his automatic handgun, removed the clip and ejecting the charged bullet., before pocketing the _ensemble_ and holstering the gun. Ray dried his hands before looking at Jake.

"Out with it. What's so important that you call me at work for ?"

Ray must have been about 50 years old, his brown hair going grey and wearing a few pounds of fat too much. Wearing a white shirt and dark brown suit, he would have fitted in almost everywhere. He was a bent cop in a bent city. Jake had done some work for him, getting rid of an annoying witness and saving his sorry ass. Ray owed him for that one. Time to cash in the debt.

"The Cartel came for me this morning, after they had a bug planted on my car. I need to know of anything suspicious concerning them or the triads in the last 24 hours."

"They went after you ?"

"With enough firepower to take out a small army."

"Hmmm. That you want Cartel mouvement, I can understand. Why Triad ?"

"I haven't been anywhere near Cartel territory recently, but I passed nearby Chinatown recently. I ain't really on the best of terms with them. They must still be sore for the loss of their so-called 'warlords'. Anyway, I also need to know if there is any kind of truce between the Cartel and the Triads."

"All that, huh ? A can tell you all I know right now, but for more specific information, you'll have to wait."

"Go ahead."

"The Cartel have a no-action truce going with the Triads. Neither of them tries to steal the others territory. The triads don't do any drugs other than their opium-smoking parlors, anyway. If one group does something for the benefit of the other, they'll have a debt that will have to be paid back in equal value. Taking out an important enemy, for example, would be a big debt."

"Then why didn't they take me out in the first place."

"That's your problem, kid. To gain face, maybe. You wanna hear the rest of the story, or are you gonna interrupt me again."

"Carry on."

"As far as I know, each group stay on their own side of the water. The Triads already have a lot on their hands, with the Mafia, the Diablos, the Forellis, and others. The Cartel are still at war with the Yakusa over here, but I hear they're quite powerful up in the posher part of town. That's where their HQ is, as far as I've heard. The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) hasn't made a move yet, though, as they don't have enough proof and are waiting for the 'big one'. That's all I can tell you for now. Meet me back here at 6 tonight, I'll pull a few string and have more information then."

"All right. See you later, then."

"Later, kid." Ray said, turning around and leaving.

Jake took out the gun, reloading it before heading back to his flat.


	3. Chapter 03 : Another Possibility Appears

Disclaimer : I don't own GTA3. Some of the characters in this fanfic are based on or taken from the game. Others are of my creation. I called the main character Jake because I found the name suited.

Chapter 3 is up. Please read and tell me what you think. I would really appreciate heaps of praises, but constructive critisism is also welcomed. I wouldn't get better otherwise.

CHAPTER 03

==========

Jake drove the short distance between Belleville Park and his flat in total silence. He was too deep in thought to be disturbed. He even forgot to get angry when some young punk in a flashy pink Cheetah cut him off. Ray would get him the information from some bent cop the other side of the water. Bent cops covered each others backs, they never knew when they would need each others help. There was almost a code of conduct between them, some form of honour.

Jake turned and descended the slope into the countyard, reversing the car into the garage. It wasn't even 10 o'clock yet, and he was free till 6 o' clock. He didn't want to stay inactive, but couldn't make a rationnal decision without more information. Who could have information concerning the Cartel ?

The answer hit him : Asuka. Being one of the local Yakusa heads, they would have to keep close tabs on Cartel activities. They would squabble like kids over insignificant pieces of land, saying that the more territory they had, the more power it represented to those looking on from the outside. He could go to Kenji, but that pig had called him a good-for-nothing useless something-or-another. He didn't do any jobs for him except if the pay was worth it. Considering his greedyness, he hadn't done anything for Kenji recently.

He opened the garage again, getting in the Sentinel and heading off to Asuka's place …

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Asuka owned several floors in a high-rise appartment block, which bordered the water. Strategically placed, the pier was nearby with several possible gettaway boats, and the docks meant goods of all sorts could be discreetly shipped in. The only possible down part was the lack of roads going to the place. A gettaway by car could be made difficult.

Jake wasn't bothered, however. He didn't live there, and Asuka payed well. She would always refer to Jake as a "toy", which was quite aggravating, but she was okay otherwise. She was also a long-time friend of Marias, though Jake had no idea how they met or how the friendship grew. But that really wasn't his business. He entered the back entrance, which gave onto a pool behind the building. As luck would have it, asuka was relaxing in a lounge chair, a cocktail on the small metal table next to her. She was dressed in a T-shirt and had a quite revealing summer skirt on. Although it was summer, Jake still wore trousers, but chose wisely which to wear. Practicality came before havng a fashion sense.

Jake walked over and stopped 2 metres away from Asuka, keeping his hands clasped behind his back. She lazily opened her right eye and looked at Jake.

"Oh goody, my toy has decided to visit me."

"This isn't a social call."

"Mores the pity. Drink ?"

"No thanks."

"So, what does my toy want for me. If you want money, you'll have to earn it."

"I don't need money." Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Not at the moment anyway."

She finally opened both her eyes and sat up straighter. "What is it you need then ?"

"I need information."

"Aha. We're nearing the end of our quest." Now it was Jakes turn to raise an eyebrow. "And what do you need information on ?"

"I need to know the recent Cartel mouvement in the last 24 hours, especially as of 7 o'clock last night."

"What do you need that kind of information for ?"

"What would you do if you knew ?"

"Just curious, that's all. It's funny that you should mention Cartel mouvement, really."

"What do you mean ?"

"Take a seat and I'll tell you."

Jake sat down on the lounge chair next to Asuka's, but didn't take her eyes off her. She could be deadly if left unattended.

"Last night, my spies reported an increased activity at about 7 o'clock last night. There was a build up starting at 6 o'clock. At 9, a small army was gathered at the construction sight."

"How big a small army ?"

"What ?"

"How many were they ?"

"Oh. From what I gather, about 10 cars. One car left straight away, wheras the others were left on sight. They left at 5 o'clock. I had prepared in case they tried to attack one of our installations, but they just passed through, and went to the other side of the water." She lifted her hand and pointed to the other side, were the buildings could be seen on the island part of Liberty City. "I didn't pay any attention to what happened after, they were no longer a threat."

She reached for her drink and took a small sip before replacing it on the table.

Jake looked over ha water. If he strained his eyes enough, he had the impression he could see where his hideout was. He even thought he saw a fire engine there. But he wasn't Inspector Gadget, and didn't have binoculars popping out of his hat. He didn't even wear hats, for that matter.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me why you want the information ? I might be able to find more out if I have a better picture of what I'm looking for."

Jake sighed. "The Cartel stalked out the hiding place where I was last night. I wan't to find out how they found me and get those who did."

Asuka nodded her head and took another sip of her drink. "And you are trying to find out haw the Cartel found you …"

"Yes."

"It wasn't a question."

"It wasn't an answer."

Jake head a car coming to park near the back entrance. "You brother's here."

Asuka looked at Jake. "You've got good hearing."

"I wouldn't have survived thus far without it."

The sound of a car door opening and closing could faintly be heard. 10 seconds later, the door opened, and Kenji entered. He looked the same as always : dark grey suit, dary shirt, dark tie, and dark shoes. Jake wondered how many suits like that he had as Kenji approched.

"Hello Athuka," Kenji said, his lisp clearly coming through.

"Hello Kenji."

"I have come to talk buthneth with you." He looked at Jake and said, "Alone."

Jake didn't want to stay as Kenki had arrived, so he stood and said to Asuka, "If you hear of anything that could be important or useful, call me, or leave me a message."

"Will do."

He turned towards the exit and passed Kenji without saying a word. He had nearly reached the door when Kenji called out "Goodbye, toy."

Jake turned to see Kenji looking at him, and Asuka with a small smile on her face. He called back, "Thee you around thometime, Kendthi." before opening the door and leaving …

***************************************************************************

Driving back to his flat, he took a safe way back, making sure he wasn't being followed, and thought about his other employers, anyone who could hold a grudge against him.

The Leone family was the first to come to mind. Jake had worked for them since his escape during what was supposed to be a routine prisonner transfer.The convoy had been attacked, but Jake wasn't sure who by. It seemed to be the Cartel, but Jake wasn't sure. Whoever it was, they had done a good job, going so far as to have the police departments computer records attacked by some computer whizz, deleting the records of those who were transfered. As it was, there were only 3 people in the police car : an elderly prisonner the who the people had come for, 8-ball, and Jake himself. They had taken the other person, leaving 8-ball and Jake to themselves. They had done a good job to geta away. He had started his first jobs for the Mafia, doing simple no-trust jobs as transporting non-important people or non-important packets, beating small-time drug dealers on Mafia turf, and stuff like that. Now, he was entrusted with bigger and bigger jobs, although he wasn't sure if babysitting Maria was considered as a important job or not. He had never told them that he worked for other gangs. As far as they knew, Jake worked solely for them.

The Chinese Triads could certainly hold a grudge against him. Which was an understanderable thing. Jake hadn't really done anything for them, quite the contrary. Jake wasn't racist, but had never felt the urge to work for them. And they never proposed him anything. Jake thus avoided going to Chinatown, as Triad thugs patrolled the streets, armed.

Stopping briefly at a red light, Jakes thoughts went to the Yakusa, his next biggest employer. He had been recommended by Maria to Asuka, who had also started by giving him small jobs. But every penny gained was put to good use, or saved for a rainy day. Besides, it was always good to have an easy job now and again. After some time, his was recommended by Asuka to Kenji. Jake didn't like Kenji, and couldn't even if he tried. Kenji was as demanding and uptight as could be. _Elitist, that's the word_, Jake thought, starting off as the light turned greed. He thought himself better than anyone and everyone. Jake had successfully done several jobs for him, but Kenji always demanded more. Jake eventually stopped accepting jobs from him, and Kenji stopped offering. Asuka, on the other hand, offered interesting jobs and good wages.

The Cartel and Jake hated each others guts. That was even common knowledge on the streets. Jake had made quite a name for himself, but few knew his real face. And Jake did his best to ensure no one knew where he lived. Jake didn't know who was at the head of the Cartel, and didn't really know how powerful they were. They had a large construction site on this part of town, and Ray had just told him they were also influent in the posher part of town, but that's all Jake knew. He also suspected the construction site, held by some cover-up company called "Pan Lantic", to be some sort of base for future operations or incursions. But there was still quite a lot of work before it would be completed, so Jake wasn't worried. He might even not be here when it was completed. He didn't intend on remaining in Liberty City his whole life, but Jake didn't generally think so far ahead.

There were some more small groups spotted here and there, but Jake hadn't paid much attention to then and vice-versa. They hadn't proposed anything thus far. But Jake hadn't actively taken any action against them. They were groups who had been important, bat hadn't evolved for some time, losing out by not advancing. Others were groups that had just started out, and hadn't been able to make their mark as such.

Most of the groups seemed to have their own speciallity aswell. The Mafia were into prostitution and protection money, the Diablos into cars, the Cartel drugs, just to mention a few. Of course, some groups interest could overlap with anothers, which would lead to a street war for a while, before things calmed down and the smoke settled. The Yakusa also did protection money, but both the Mafia abd the Yakusa stayed on their side of the water, for now …

Arriving at his hideout, he circled the block twice, double-checking the area for a tail or for someone who was staking out his flat. Seeing no one, he went down the slope, put his car in the garage, and entered his flat.

***************************************************************************

It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Jake had just finished having lunch, and felt content with himself. After cleaning up, he took a map of the area. Ray spoke about Cartel influence up in the posher area, probably refering to Cedar Grove. That was one chic area : big houses, several expensive cars, extensive gardens, and the like. Probably cost as much to keep as it did to buy in the first place. If the Cartel was there, they must be making a lot of money, although some funds could be coming from outside Liberty City.

Jake had already put limits for each group on the map. Territory sometimes overlapped : they were the areas to avoid during tensions between gangs. Parts of towns weren't controlled. Liberty Campus, for example, was kept free from gang influence, as the police were more active in the area. Probably to try and bring in intellectual potential to the city, or something like that. And Jake had a hard time imagining a gang reclaiming the airport as a part of its territory. Taking the purple felt pen, Jake put a cross where Cedar Grove was on the map. He tried to keep it up to date, and had been quite successful in doing so. However, he rarely ventured to Shoreside Vale, and wasn't very aware of the gang situation over there.

Jake then thought about the means that the Cartel had put to capture – or kill – him. They had, in a matter of hours, brought 10 or so cars, and therefore at least 20 people, together. They were all armed to a certain derge, automatic machine guns seeming to be the minimum. They wouldn't have done so if they weren't sure he had been there. Who had known he was going to see Salvatore ?

He sat bolt upright. He hadn't thought of that. The Mafia itself knew he was going to see Salvatore. Maybe not every Tom, Dick and Harry, but at least a few influential members, as well as some henchmen. Salvatore knew, he was the one who proposed the job. He would probably have told Joey, Tony and Luigi. Their 'assistants' would also know, therefore. Plus the odd Mafia thug he crossed on the way to Salvatores. Not to mention the 2 he had seen at the entrance to Salvatores. That meant that, all in all, some 20 or so people could know.

This meant several things. Supposing the Mafia and the Cartel had worked together on this one, they would have some sort of relationship going on. This meant some sort of alliance. But supposing it was the Mafia, why would they do this ? What would they have to gain ? Or what had he done so that the Mafia decides to sell him ? Jake would have to give this more thought. He couldn't exactly go see salvatore at his place and say, "Oh, by the way, why did you sell me to the Cartel ?" That was a sure way of getting on salvatores bad side, and that was one thing Jake did not want to do. Although if Salvatore had sold him, things couldn't get much worse. It could come slightly lower, from Joey, Luigi, or Tony. One of them could have made an alliance with the Cartel in the hopes of overthrowing salvatore and becoming the leader of the Mafia.

Jake would have to think this over. But he needed more information before taking any course of action. He would see Ray later to get more Traid information, and then give things a LOT of thought …


	4. Chapter 04 : Truth is Stranger Than Spec...

Disclaimer : I don't own GTA3. Some of the characters in this fanfic are based on or taken from the game. Others are of my creation. I called the main character Jake because I found the name suited.

Chapter 4 is up. Please read and tell me what you think. I would really appreciate heaps of praises, but constructive critisism is also welcomed. I wouldn't get better otherwise.

Authors Note : While I appreciate the encouragement I'm getting, I'm not getting many reviews. Please, if you like itn leave an encouraging note. If you find a mistake, correction is appreciated. If you don't like it, flame me. But please, leave something. Feedback is welcome and wanted, whether positive or negative.

Thanks to those who have already reviewed.

This chapter, like the 2 before it, is less action and more plot devellopement. Action will come, promise.

CHAPTER 04

==========

Jake had nothing special to do before meeting Ray at 6 o' clock. He basically moped around his flat. He didn't feel like exercising, going over his equipement, or learning anything new. He knew that inactivity would make time seem to pass slower, but couldn't bring himself to move.

He finally decided to move and phones Simon, the self-proclaimed car-enthusiast. Jake arranged to bring the car to Simons place for half past five. That would leave Jake time to take a cab to Belleville park and still have time left.

Time crawled slowly passed. Eventually, after looking at the clock for the upteenth time, he saw that it was time to go. Grabbing his leather jacket from the back of a chair, he exited his flat and called the lift. It arrived, the doors opening and letting some light enter the landing. Jake stepped in, but only after he checked he was armed. Hitting the courtyard button, the doors closed slowly with a small "ding".

Jake could feel the lift slowly descending. It might not be an overly expensive area, but things worked, and it was clean enough. The lift stopped, and the doors opened to reveal the courtyard in the receding light. It was only twenty to five, but already the sun was slowly setting.

Jake left his jacket open as he exited the lift. He open the garage, and started the Stingers engine. Driging it out of the garage, he left the motor running while he closed the garage door, before driving of to Simons …

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As was his habit, Jake arrived 5 minutes early to check the area. Ha had arrived by cab. He didn't usually do so. Every cab he took meant that there was another potential person who could maybe identify him someday. He knew he was probably just being paranoid, but it was his way of increasing his chances of living. He took his usual seat some distance from the toilets and sat. And waited. 5 minutes slowly passed, and Ray appeared right on time. Jake saw him enter the toilet, before getting up and heading towards them …

He hurried down the steps and entered. Ray was waiting next to the sink and watched as Jake entered. Jake quickly checked the cubicles before taking his gun, removing the ammo clip and ejecting the loaded bullet. He pocked the whole and looked at Ray.

"Ready."

Ray nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll start with Triad mouvement, as it's shortest. They didn't have any mouvement beyond the normal yesterday."

"No big convoys, no armed robberies, no but planting riots, nothing ?"

"Nothing."

Jake scratched his head and looked at the floor. "Well, that kinda rules out the Triads."

"I figures as much."

"What about the Cartel ?"

"I was getting there, but you so rudely interrupted. The Cartel didn't have any mouvement on the island till about 6 o'clock. They stayed near the bridges entrance. In fact, they stayed there till about 5 o'clock, AM. Them they moved and headed towards the red light district. They must have noticed something, because they managed to ditch the cops following them."

"You mean that a 10 car convoy of cruisers lost a few cops. Jeez …" He was about to say something else, but shut up seeing the way Ray was looking at him. Ray may have been a bent cop, and didn't like people who would squeal and could put him in danger. That was just one of the jobs Ray had payed him to do. But a non-cop talking badly about a cop, that was out of the question. Jake wisely shut his mouth and signaled Ray to continue.

"They were spotted again towards 7:30, crossing the bridge to go back to their turf. Reports say that 2 of their cars were damaged, but nothing that would stop them driving. That's all I managed to dig up, since their trail had been lost."

"Do you know anything about an explosion on Hepburn Heights ?"

"Near the Red-Light district ?"

"That's the one."

Ray took a newspaper that was on the sink and that Jake hadn't noticed. It was one of theose late editions, coming out late afternoon or early evening. He opened it at the second page and showed a small article to Jake. He read : "A small building adjacent to some sort of warehouse exploded early this morning. Whilst it has been determined that it was no accident, it is presently unknown as to who bombed the building. No bodies or other objects, other that a few household appliances, have been found. The fire was quickly under control and the nearby buildings suffered little to no damage."

Jake let out a small sigh, and gave the paper back to Ray, who had been watching him read the article. "Thanks for all the info Ray."

"Hey, I owed you in the first place."

"See you round sometime."

"Whatever, kid. Take care of yourself."

_Typical cop attitude_, Jake thought to himself, and he took out his automatic pistol and loaded it again. He was startled to hear a beeping, and quickly spun around weapon drawn. Of course, no-one was behind him. He had made sure of that just after having entered the mens. He put his hun away and took the pager from his pocket. Pressing a button, a message appeared : "It's Maria. Call me ASAP". Wondering why Maria would want to talk to him personally, he removed his cell phone and dialed Marias private number. It rung twice before someone picked up the phone.

"Hello ?"

"Maria ? It's Jake."

"Oh Jake, thank God you called so quickly. I need to talk to you, urgently, but I can't say anything over the phone."

Jake could hear the urgency in her voice. He also heard something he hadn't heard : fear. She was scared. For the first time Jake could hear fear in her voice. This must be urgent. "Where do you want to meet ?" Jake asked.

"How long would it take you to get to the Jah Radio Stations parking ?"

"About 45 minutes."

"Meet you there them."

Jake opened his mouth to ask what was going on only to be met with the tone, indicating that she had already hung up. _Oh well, I'd better get going. She might be able to give me more info as to what's going on ..._

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Jake had swiftly walked back to his flat, checking to make sure no one noticed as he went down the ramp. Walking towards the garage, he openeed the door and took the Sentinel. He didn't have the choice, as it was the only car there. The car hadn't been as worked on as the Stinger, but was a more secure car. Better protection, which, depending on what Maria would tell him, might be a good thing. He exited the courtyard and turned right, towards the petrol station. _It's always better to head into difficult situations with a full tank._

After filling up, he crossed the Calleham bridge. He only rarely used the tunnel, and only when he wasn't in a hurry. It was easier to be trapped in a tunnel, and high-speed gettaways were a nuisance and all. He swiftly made his way towards the radio station. It was a building on neutral territory, since there was no way a radio station could be of interest to any of the nearby gangs. Jake arrived, and looking at his clock, he saw that he was 10 minutes early. Scanning the parking, he saw Marias car was already there, parked in the furthest corner, away from the entrance. He drove slowly over, and reversed into the parking space a few cars down from her car.

He stopped the motor and exited his car, but didn't lock the doors. He first of all looked around, making sure nobody was watching them, and saw no one. He walked cautiously over to Marias car, a metallic-blue Bobcat. A rich girls car. Typical of America : to have a SUV 4x4 when you lived in the middle of an urban city. Reaching the car, he looked inside to find Maria lying down over the front seats. Jake guessed that she must have been trying to hadi, but couldn't guess from what. She didn't seem to be awake, so Jake lightly knocked on the window. Marias' eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright, looking around woth frightened eyes. When she saw Jake, she breathed a hugh sigh of relief before opening the door and stepping out.

"Hello Jake."

"Maria." Jake scanned the area once again, getting the feeling that they were being watched. "Let's get to my car, so you can explain why you called me over so urgently."

For once, Maria didn't complain. She locked her car and followed Jake to his. Jake got in, and Maria got into the passengers seat. Jake found it strange, since the only other times he was in a car with Maria, whe was seated (or sometimes slumped over) on the back seat. He started the engine and started slowly driving. Another car engine could be heard, steadily growing, and coming from the entrance. Maria barely had the time to say "Uh oh …" before Jake spun the car around, leaving an arc of rubber on the parkings surface and creatinga small smoke cloud. Jake was heading for the small grassy embancment between the parking and the road. Jake had just the time to see a car enter the parking before going – dropping – down onto the road below, and he didn't like what he saw.

"Maria, please don't tell me you're running away from Salvatore."

"Okay, I'm not running from Salvatore."

Despite th fact that he was driving at less-than-legal speeds through the Red-light district and heading towards Chinatown, Jake glancedat Maria and saw hes tightened jaw and fists tightly clenched.

"Can you tell me that truthfully ?"

"Yes, dammit !" she yelled back.

"Wouldn't your father be proud to hear you use such language …" Jake said, flicking the steering wheel to aroud a slow-moving car. The occupant was more-than-likely drooling over the girls that walked the streets.

"Where do you think I learnt that word ?"

Jake gave a small smile, just before performing a handbrake turn and heading for the main highway.

"So, are you gonna explain what's going on, or am I going to have to bring you back to your daddies place ?"

"Can you bring me to Asukas place ?"

"You answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

Maria pleaded, "This is urgent", hoping that Jake would fall for her charm. Unfortunately …

"One more chance before I turn around. Explain what's going on."

Maria glanced over at Jake and saw that he was actually pretty tense at the moment. "Luigi has the hots for me."

"I don't care who has the hots for you, and, to be honest, I don't give a damn about your love life."

"Let me tell the rest, and you'll understand." Taking Jakes snort as approval, she continued, "Luigi fancies me, but there is no way I will go out with him. I mean, he is quite cute, in an Italian way, but he's not my kind of guy. Plus, he's a pimp. I mean, what kind of girl would willingly go out with that kind of person." Hearing Jake clear his throat, she guessed she was getting sidetracked, as she had the habit of doing. "So anyway, he didn't take no for an answer." They were now, to Marias relief, travelling over the Callaham bridge, heading slowly towards Asukas with no sigh of being followed. "He kept on asking, and never took my answer, bieng no, seriously. So, to get him off my back, I … I …"

"You what ?"

"I told him we were together."

Maria had to brace herself as the car went from left lane to right, then back to left in under a second. Unfortunately, having her hands busy meant that the could block her ears and heard Jake yell "YOU WHAT ?!?!" directly into her ear.

"I told him we were an item. That every time you would drive me to parties, that we were actually dating."

"Oh God. And I was here, thinking things couldn't get worse."

"Why ? What happened ? Has he made a move against you ?"

"Not personally. He set the Cartel on me ?"

"The what ?"

_For a Mafia heads daughter, she doesn't keep herself well informed_, Jake thought to himself. "The Colombian drug barons. They're the ones making SPANK."

"Oh", was all Maria could bring herself to say.

"Is that all you can say, 'Oh' ?!? You set maniac Luigi on me. On of the future Mafia heads."

"You're wrong there."

This time it was Jakes' turn to look shocked. "Huh ?"

"Daddy told him that he would be nothing more that Joeys assistant, and only if Joey kept him on. I overheard them rowing about it a few days ago. Luigi wanted more power, arguing that all Joey wa interested in was cars, and that Tony was a fat good-for-nothing slob who couldn't do anything without his mothers approval. Salvatore got kinda mad, and kinda said that the Mafia would be passed onto Joey."

"I'm supprised that Luigi isn't some statistic in a gang war by now."

"I would have prefered it. I think my little lie was the last straw."

"But things make sense now. Luigi won't be ruling anything. So he wants to overthrow Salvatore, but has to weaken his power first. He sells me, getting rid of your supposed boyfriend, killing a useful freelance worker of Salvatores, and earns himself a dept with the Cartel owing him a favor. He can then call in the debt, getting the Cartel to kill Joey and/or Tony, before doing Salvatore in."

"You mean he wants to kill daddy ?" Marai shrieked, as she understood what Jake was saying.

"Yes."

"We've got to go back. We HAVE to warn daddy. Oh, it's all my fault."

"Yes, it is, actually."

"Some comfort you are."

"Saying it as it is."

Just then, they arrived at Asukas place, parking the car in a space just next to the rear entrance. Jake cut the motor,a dn climbed out of the car. Maria did so, tears slowly being cried, making her mascara run. Jake walked over to the door, Maria dragging her feet about a meter behind him. Pushing the door open, he entered the small courtyard and saw Asuka, sitting in a lounge chair with her laptop computer on her knees. Upon seeing them enter, she deposited the laptop on the small table beside the chair,a dn called something in what Jake guessed to be Japanese. A servant arrived, exchanged a few words with Asuka before gesturing for Maria to follow him. She did so without any resistance, leaving Jake alone with Asuka.

"Found what you were looking for ?" Asuka asked. Jake nodded, but didn't say a word. "Will you be needing any help ?"

"No. This is personnal."

"That is so _cliché_", Asuka said with a slight grimace.

"But oh so true", Jake said, turning to leave the area. "Tell Maria I'll be back shortly to keep her updated. She'll understand."

Asuka nodded. "Good luck."

"I'm not the one who'll be needing luck", Jake said, opening the door and heading towards his car …


	5. Chapter 05 : The Next Step Towards Truth

Disclaimer : I don't own GTA3. Some of the characters in this fanfic are based on or taken from the game. Others are of my creation. I called the main character Jake because I found the name suited. I also made him a little bit less cold-hearted when compared to the game.

Chapter 5 is up. Please read and tell me what you think. I would really appreciate heaps of praises, but constructive critisism is also welcomed. I wouldn't get better otherwise.

Authors Note : While I appreciate the encouragement I'm getting, I'm not getting many reviews. Please, if you like it, leave an encouraging note. If you find a mistake, correction is appreciated. If you don't like it, flame me. But please, leave something. Feedback is welcome and wanted, whether positive or negative.

Thanks to those who have already reviewed, that is to say : **KW, SPAZ, Phill, GTS, MazdaLover, MatrixNikcon and eyelinerboy (my first reviewer ;) )**.

This chapter, like the 2 before it, is less action and more plot devellopement. Action will come, promise (in other words, don't kill me yet).

One last point : in this story, Maria is Salvatores daughter. In the game, she's one of his ex-girlfriends. My mistake. Thanks to Phill for the correction.

CHAPTER 05

==========

It was already dark at 8 o' clock, when Jake arrived at the outskirts of the red-light district. Driving the Sentinel, he felt pretty safe. However, someone had seen this car, but Jake didn't know if that someone had had the time to get his licence plate. He drove again to the radio stations parking, making sure it was empty before shutting the motor off. He got out of the car and opened the boot. Removing the bottom, he opened a box containing several false plates from several different states across America. Taking of the old plates and replacing them with the new, he felt slightly more secure. Closing the boot lid, he returned to the driving seat, placing the old licence places in the glove compartment. He had done all this by the light provided by the nearby street lamps. It wasn't much, but it provided enough light for him to see without letting other people get a good look at him.

He started the motor and set off. He passed in front of Luigis place, a quite well-kept building in the center of the red-light district. Jake passed in front of it, turned left and turned left again, turning into a small courtyard. He parked the car well enough for it to be hidden from anyone looking into the courtyard, and got out. Locking the car, he headed for the stairs that led up to the roof of the building.

Reaching said roof, he had a clear view of Luigis strip club. It was also a peep-show haven, and other things Jake didn't bother to think about. Hell, this WAS the red-light district. Luigi also had quite a few girls walking the streets, but this was the base.

Glancing at his watch, Jake saw that it was half past eight. Luigi usually arrived about this time, so Jake kept vigilant. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes of dilligent watching, Jake saw 2 Mafia Sentinels arriving. They would always come from the park, since the road opposite Salvatores house more or less went straight down to the park. The cars were basically boosted Sentinels, with tinted glass windows, without forgetting the extra armor and thicker glass. Handgun bullets had little chance of getting through. Heavy machine gun fire would stand a good chance, but it was a bit conspicuous to be walking around town with a machine gun under your arm.

Waiting 10 minutes, Jake left the roof and headed towards Luigis back door. He never went through the front, that was the customers entrance. Jake knocked on the door, and waited. A small hole opened in the door, and a hencemans ugly mug peered out at Jake.

"What do ya want ?"

"I'm here to deliver a message to Luigi, for his ears only."

"Who from ?"

"Jake."

The hole closed, and Jake heard the thug leave the door. After a couple of minutes, the time to check his weapon and remove the security, Jake saw the door open and Luigi stepped out. The door was left open, and a thug was behind him. A big one. _Probably an ex-American football player gone wrong,_ Jake mused.

"Benny here says you gotta message for me. Something personnal ?"

"Yeah. Word says you sold me to the Cartel, after having my car bugged. What do you say ?"

Luigi blanched a little, but it wasn't very noticable under his tan. He managed to keep his voice calm, as he said "I think you shouldn't listen to the word on the street if it starts saying stupid things."

"That's not what I think. I happen to trust this source. Especially on subjects such as this one."

Luigi slightly closed his eyes, and with a cold edge to his voice said "You trust this source more than my word ?"

Jakes voice didn't falter, neither did his eyes as he said "Yes."

"Then I think you need a lesson. Benny …"

The thug stepped menacingly past Luigi, who looked at Jake with an evil smile on his lips. Jake took a step back, giving Benny enough room to get down all the steps leading to the door. As soom as both his feet reached the ground, Jake moved. He knew it was a cheap move, but so useful. He snap-kicked as Bennies right knee, forcing Benny to go down on one knee in a lot of pain. Jake then sent his right fist into a cross punch, landing it into Bennies solid left cheek. Benny fell. Hard. Not enough to knock him unconscious, but enough to incapacitate him for a couple of minutes.

Jake, seeing Luigi move, quickly drew his automatic, leveling out at Luigis head. He was a professional, and had no trouble drawing faster than the pimp that was his adversary. Luigi stopped all mouvement, barely daring to breath. A snarl came to his lips. "You think Salvatore will like you pointing your gun at me ?"

"You think he'll appreciate your trying to hit on his daughter ? Someone he doesn't even deem worthy to keep as an assistant."

Luigi looked shocked at this remark. If he had been expecting anything, it surely wasn't that. "How …"

"Like I said, pimp-boy, the word on the street."

Luigi couldn't think of anything to say or do. Jake walked up the short flight of stairs and removed the small beretta Luigi kept in a concealed shoulder-holster before pocketing it. Without removing the gun from his target, he walked down the steps. Jake looked Luigi directly into his eyes as he said,"If you ever so much as think of doing something against me or Maria, you won't live to see the next day. I can promise you a lot of pain before dying, too."

"So it was Maria."

"You so much as look at her wrong, you won't have time to react before I'll see you get a first-class ticket to hell. And I have no qualms whatsoever. YOU should know that as well as anyone."

At this remark, Luigi nodded. Benny was well enough to get up, but he still kep his hand to his cheek. The beginning of a bruise was visible under his fingers. Jake kept the gun trained on Luigi as he was leaving, only putting it away as he reached the overhanging leading towards the street, at which point he quickly put his gun away and ran towards his car. He didn't bother looking back. Luigi wouldn't have the time to act before Jake could get away. Jake ran to his car, quickly entering, starting the motor and driving off into the night. Anywhere but here would be safe at the moment …

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Jake drove away from Luigis, forcing himself to breath evenly to calm himself down. Jake hoped that Luigi would learn his lesson. If he hadn't, Jake would have to take care of him, and it was likely to become messy.

His pager brought him back to his senses. Jake reached into his pocket and brought out the pager. It was from Donald Love, rich and powerful businessman. Drove a good deal, too. The jobs Jake did for him weren't too hard, and the pay was good, too. A useful ally, all things considered. The scyscraper that served as his house, gym and office block was just next too the subway exit, which was an added bonus. Donald wanted to see Jake at 8 o'clock, tomorrow morning. Jake considered, and decided to take on the job, whatever it was. He would need time to think before he made a ersonnal move against the Cartel …

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"Good morning," Jake said, entering the room Donald Love used as his office. A half-ring desk of polished black wood, screaming "expensive", stood in the middle of the room. Donald was seated behind the desk in a suptuous leather seat. You couldn't call it a chair, given the size of it. And it looked incredibily comfortable.

Donald looked up at Jake and a small smile came to his lips. "Ah, Jake. Just the person I was waiting for."

"Well you did call."

"That I certainly did. Please, take a seat."

Jake sat down in a chair opposite Donald, and got himself comfortable.

"I'll get straight to the point. I have an acquintance who periodically drops by St Francis airport. He owns a small plane company. And to help him financially, he does me favours, such as bringing packages away from or to Liberty City. He has been doing so for quite sometime. Tomorrow morning, at 6, he will be touching down. At quarter past 6, he will have parked his plane in hanger 6, and will leave the plane for half an hour. I want you to go and collect the package for me. The passanger plane door will be open, and the package will be hidden in the parachute of the passanger seat. You will, as soon as you get the package, bring it here. Is everything clear ?"

"Very clear, sir."

"Good. You will, of course, be paid. I will be seeing you tonight then." Saying these words, Donald stood up. Jake followed, and turned to leave the office …

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Jake had had no trouble entering the airports hanger area. A hefty tip to the security agent would allow at least an hours silence. Jake could, of course, just killed the man, but that would lead to too many risks and complications. Jake was driving his Sentinal, as the engine was probably the most silent of his cars, but that didn't make it the least powerful or the slowest. Not quite as boosted as his beloved Stinger, it wasn't far off. And the additionnal extras were of a different nature. Drining behind the hangars, he turned of his headlights to be even more discreet. There were very few people working, and all stayed close to the main building.

Arriving to what he supposed was hangar number 6, Jake drove up and parked behind the building. Cutting the motor, he didn't lock the door in case he had to make a quick gettaway. Pocketing the keys, he quietly made his was around the building. Arriving in front, he looked around. And didn't like what he saw. 2 Cartel Cruisers. And 2 Colombians talking rapidly in Spanish. Jake was too far away for him to hear what they were saying. And the only words that did float over made no sense when put together.

Jake took out his desert eagle, and waited. When he saw no one other than the 2 Colombians, he brought the gun up, took careful aim, and fired. The first shot hit the one facing in his (general) direction straight in the face, forcing him to reel back The other barely had the time to turn around before a bullet made contact with his chest, sending him sprawling. Jake could hear shouting in the building, and could easily distinguish swear words. A lot of them. He headed towards the door of the building, when he heard a motor being gunned to life. Jake barely had the time to think '_Damn_' before a van came crashing out of the entrance just 3 metres ahead of where he was standing. Jake barely had the time to read "Pan Latlic" before the shots started to be fired. Jake had to jump back, since the more advanced Colombians could have a fair shot at him. Landing – badly – on his back, he had to roll over to get up. Once up, however, he was fully functionnal. Gun trained on the entrance, he quietly but quickly snuck up, being careful not to present himself a target to anyone. Doing so, however, meant that he use his left hand. 

Using his right hand, he carefully removed 2 grenades from his inside pocket, placing one in his outer pocket. Gripping the pin between his teeth, he gently pulled it out, but kept the latch in place.

Jake advanced rapidly onto the hole left by the escaping van, firing a few shods as he advanced. Upon reaching the hole he threw the grenade inside, hearing the dull metallic _clunk_, as well as several less common curses in Spanish, before an ear-splitting explosion was heard. Jake still had 8 shots left in the clip, and planned on making good use of them. He ran into the hole, doing his best to asses the situation. There was quite a lot of smoke, but that didn't stop Jake seeing the bodies, lying around in un-natural positions. He saw some mouvement, and quickly brought the gun up to level, firing twice. The first shot caused the person to spin around, the second hitting him in mid-spin, making him fall and leaving no doubt as to his state.

Once the smoke and dust cleared, Jake saw that everyone present wasn't in a state to act, even if they were lucky enough to be whole. Jake didn't have any time to ponder, so he quickly made his way towards the plane. It was damaged, part of the wing having been ripped off by the explosion. Opening the passanger door, he went to take the passangers parachute, …, only to find that it wasn't there.

Jake first reaction was to suspect a set-up by Love. But that's just being paranoid. Jake could see the parachutes bag on the floor. Picking it up, he found it to be empty.

Then it hit him : the gettaway van. It must have been carrying whatever was in the bag. Jake exited the hangar and rapidly made his way towards his car. _What was written on the van ?_ Jake tried to remember, without much success. Entering the car, Jake remembered : Pan Lantic. The construction site near his flat. The Colombians. It made sense. They must have known that something interesting was coming, and made the necessary arrangements to get the merchandise before Love. They somehow had it in for the businessman. _Well, there's only one place to go …_ Jake thought, starting the engine and heading off …

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Arriving on the construction site with one of his cars would be a bad idea. First, it could easily be recognized, or worse, bugged for future reference. It could also be damaged or stolen. And givin the amount of work Jake put into his cars, he really didn't want that to happen. So he opted for another option : steal another car. It wouldn't have to be the fastest or the flashiest of cars, just good enough.

Jake was acquainted with the parking lot attendant, which was only a 5 minute walk from his appartment. Leaving his car in the garage, Jake walked in the cold morning air while the sun was making itself visible through the early morning fog.

"Morning Fred." Jake said through the window to the half asleep attendant.

Fred, the attendant, fell of his seet trying to sit up, landing quite painfully on the floor on his cramped '_office_'. Mumbling some well chosen swear words under his breath, he slowly got up. "Morning Jake." He managed to mumble, in between some more swear words.

"Get out the wrong side of bed did we this morning" Jake said with a grin.

"Wrong side of the chair more like it" was the answer.

"Hows things ?"

"They were fine till you decided to give me my wake-up call" Fred grumbled.

"Tell ma, are there any cars in here ?"

"It's a parking lot, what do you think there'll be ?"

"Har de har, very funny Fred. You know what I mean."

Fred scratched his chin and though for a minute. "Well, I think there's a Stinger in there, and the odd Sentinel, but if you're looking for what I think you're looking for, there's nothing else that would interest you."

"I'll take a Sentinel. Where is it ?"

"One of them is on the second floor, not far from the lift. Lazy fat bugger came in here late last night, stinking of alcohol. And he's a bad tipper, too."

"Ah, so HE'S the new love of your life, then ?" Jake said with a grin.

"Get out of here, idiot. And hurry up with it."

Jake stepped in the parking ad headed for the lift. Stepping in, he quickly got to the second floor. He didn't really have to go far to get there. Looking around, he had just enough light to spot the silver Sentinel, sitting between a Rumpo and a pickup. Walking over, he took out a long thin piece of metal from his inner pocket, called a 'slim jim', and quickly slid it between the door frame and the window glass. After a few seconds, he latched onto the opening mechanism and pulled, opening the door.

'_Phase one : completed sir !_' Jake thought to himself, completing the thought with an imaginary salute. Opening the door, he quickly entered. He knew he had about 10 seconds before the alarm went off. Thanks goodness, thanks to Joey, he knew that there was a code that could be entered into the build-in radio which cut off the alarm. Quickly punching in the code, he waited, holding his breath in case the alarm went off. 10 seconds … silence. 20 seconds … silence. After 30 seconds of silence, he breathed once again. Putting his slim jim back in his pocket, he took out a screwdriver and a small hammer. Placing the screwdriver before the ignition, he sharply his it with the hammer, forcing the screwdriver into the key slot. With a quick twist, the motor awoke, sending slight vibrations through the cars frame.

After getting comfortable, he set off, quickly exiting the parking and heading towards the 'Pan Lantic' construction site. It was too early for anyone to be working, so the first sign of life would be where the action was. He knew where there was a hole in the fence. Well, a damn big hole really. Big enough to let his car through. He went in, keeping the noise of the motor to a minimum so as to attract the least attention possible.

Driving over, he saw a van near the lift leading towards the upper levels. Stopping near the van, he cut the motor and exited the car. Moving towards the lift, he quietly got in, drawing his gun. Pressing the only button, he crouched down to provide a smaller and better protected target, in case anyone saw him.

After what seemed an eternity, but which was only 2 minutes in reality, he arrived at the top. Stepping out of the lift, he held his breath and strained his hearing. He could hear voices, towards his left. Edging towards the voices, he could distinguish 2 people talking, both voices seeming familiar.

Finally, he was close enough. Whipping around the pillar he was hiding behind, he saw …

****

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Authors Note : Okay, for once, I left you with something of a cliffhanger. There's a simple reason for that : I don't know what whould follow. I have several possibilities, and am hesitating which one to follow. I'll be needing input. If a don't get any demands, requests, or otherwise, I'll choose. But a little bit of interactivity never hurt anyone.


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